Past Tomorrow
by dotio
Summary: Back in 1994, Levana Blackburn ruled the school, only to be rivaled by Cinder Linh. Sworn enemies since day one. But this is 2016, where Cinder got the happy ending, despite Levana's hard work. Cinder is married with two children in a little complex with all her friends. Levana got married to her best friend Sybil, and they have a child. But they aren't happy. Not yet.
1. PROLOGUE

It all started with an old, crappy pair of combat boots, a bag of popcorn, and a dare. Cinder was the Dare Queen, after all. And the stakes were high - twenty whole dollars.

The fact that $20 made it high stakes was pitiful, but those were different times. Times when combat boots on sale at Goodwill made for a good catch. But that was besides the point.

Thorne, the resident bad boy and her resident best friend, had poked and needled Cinder as he so often did.

"Come on, Cinder. Come _on._ You gotta make a mark. You have to….you have to…"

He took out a lighter from his jacket and clicked, placing the fire at the edge of the steel bench. Cinder rolled her eyes - her signature move.

"Stop trying to be overly dramatic, _bad boy_. Everyone can see right through it."

Thorne tilted his head. "No, they can't." To make his point, he turned to a gaggle of girls sitting right behind them and winked - his signature move. He turned back, the girls' swoons falling against his disregarding back. "It's just you, Cinder."

The crowd pressed up against them as an enormous cheer rang through the stadium. Cinder clapped halfheartedly. She wasn't much for school spirit. Thorne, on the other hand, whistled as loud as he possibly could.

"Anyways, Cinder," he elbowed her in the ribs, "you have to leave something for this school to remember you for."

"Dammit, Thorne, we've still got two and a half years in this hell. I've got plenty of opportunities to embarrass myself even further and leave a lasting impression on this place."

"Believe me," Thorne sighed, trying to nonchalantly place his feet on the packed bleacher in front of him, "I've been counting down the days."

"What days, Thorne? You haven't attended any classes in a week."

"It's - it's the whole aura." He waved his hands vaguely as the crowd booed at something on the field. "See? They get it."

Cinder peered down at the field, lit harshly by fluorescent lights. The ref was yelling something at the players of their team, but visibly walked a few steps back when he got to Wolf. Or, at least, that's what everyone called the ferocious, hulking player. Cinder had heard he could knock someone unconscious with a light fist bump.

Scarlet, one of Cinder's closer friends, claimed he was just a big softie, but Cinder, with all her bravery, could not work up the courage to get up to him and ask a question.

"Okay, Cinder," said Thorne, pushing his baseball cap down on the back of his head. "Do something. Leave this place with something. Make it a memory by losing something, or whatever deep shit you want to make it."

"I'll leave this place with a-"

"AH! Sorry, excuse me."

"No proble-"

Cinder stopped in the middle of her sentence.

Kai was still balancing the popcorn that was about to be spilled all over her on the tips of his fingers. He gulped and retracted his hand, which had been teetering very close to her nose. He tried for an apologetic smile, and Cinder was more blinded than any harsh light surrounding the stadium could have made her.

Thankfully, her mind did not catch up to her tongue. Not thankfully, her automatic backup plan did.

"No problem." She nodded her head, narrowing her eyes and pushing her chin out. To add to the damage, she braced her elbows on her knees and leaned forward. The backup plan. The bad girl look. "Just watch where you step next time."

He nodded, the tips of his ears turning a bright red. Cinder was positive her face would have been just as red, but tan skin and some luck usually brought nothing.

Not like Kai, with the smooth skin, and the coiffed, fluffy black hair, and the moonlit smile, and the kind eyes, and the -

"OH, MAN, CINDER," started Thorne, guffawing, "HAVE YOU GOT THE HOTS FOR HIM."

Cinder turned back, mortified. Thankfully, Wolf had saved her day, scoring a touchdown in the last two seconds of the game and causing the crowd to go wild and drown out Thorne's exclamation to everyone except for her.

" _Just watch where you step next time,_ " Thorne choked, eyes watering during his imitation of her. "Cinder. Oh my god."

"Shut up." Cinder whined, toying with the edge of the flannel shirt around her waist. But Thorne, as usual, did not listen.

He whistled loudly, which was thankfully still appropriate as the crowd continued cheering.

"Cinder, you'll never hear the end of this. But you'll have to for now. I've got an afterparty to catch." He began clambering out of the weird position he was in on the steel bench, but stopped halfway. "Cinder. Leave something."

"No." She stared at the tip of her combat boots, so worn that the black veneer was just a distant memory.

Thorne cocked his head and smiled devilishly. "I DARE you to leave something."

Cinder stiffened as adrenaline immediately sent a quick pump through her heart. She could never resist a dare. She could never turn one down, either. That was what came with the title of Dare Queen, after all, and Thorne knew exactly how to twist a knife.

"I dare you to…" he followed her gaze. "Leave your almost-Doc-Martens here."

Cinder looked up at him as he smirked with his use of his nickname for her shoes. This was her only pair of shoes, and she couldn't skate home barefoot. But Thorne was smarter than he seemed.

"Just leave one, and I'll give you a ride home."

Cinder's mind was resounding with a no, but her heart was pumping fast with a yes. She untied one shoe as Thorne whooped, trying to ignore the frayed laces and peeling-off sides.

She left it on the steel bench, very black against the harsh white of the whole place, awkward and out of place amidst still elated stragglers. And as she clambered into Thorne's jaguar, skateboard firmly placed between her knees, she looked back at the stadium. She could have sworn that amidst the volunteer cleanup crew, a certain someone with a tuft of soft black hair was picking up the almost-Doc-Marten (singular) and looking right at the car.

She turned around and sighed, regretting her decision already.

"And that, kids, is the first time I ever met your father." Cinder finished, looking faintly proud of herself as she leaned back into Kai's chest.

"Mom," Peony stated matter-of-factly, looking up from her phone where she was clearly playing a game, "I'm too old for storytime."

" _You're_ too old," snorted Rikan as he shifted under the covers, lanky body close to falling out of the bed frame, "Okay, miss I'm-eleven-and-I-rule-the-world, remember who's five years older than you."

Peony rolled her eyes as Kai chuckled. Cinder wasn't sure if it was in response to Rikan's remark or to Peony's action, but something in her daughter's expression stirred something inside. Her signature move.

"ALRIGHT," declared Rikan, "I have school tomorrow, so everyone _out._ "

With a little grumbling from his parents and a lot from his little sister, they ambled out. Peony yawned and went to her room, mumbling a sleepy good night before closing the door. Cinder returned it and rested her head on Kai's shoulder as soon as the door was closed.

"I don't think I realized it," he murmured after a moment, "but I was a pretty lucky guy for finding that shoe."

She snickered, and he placed a kiss in her hair. "I think it was more that I was one lucky girl."


	2. CHAPTER ONE

You could say Artemis was a lucky girl. From afar, she was. She had an excellent house, went to a wonderful school, and was beautiful and smart. But if you asked her? Her life was a living hell.

"Mom? I'm home!" Artemis walked into their small, modern condo through their large, dark oak door. She walked past the off-white empty, tall halls and past the simplistic living room with dark hardwood floors, a flat screen TV, and a white couch with a single beige pillow. She entered into the extremely white kitchen, with light grey cabinets, stainless steel appliances, a subway tile backsplash, and a white marble countertop. She sat down on a dark wooden stool and put her backpack down on the counter. Shouts and cursing were heard from the other room. _Great._ Artemis thought. _She's on a phone call. This could be a while._

"Honey?" Sybil called from another room. "I'm in here! Just finishing up another phone call!"

"Called it." Artemis said to nobody in particular. She did that a lot. Exhausted, she unzipped her backpack and got out her phone.

 _35 new messages!_

"But I just got a new Facebook yesterday?" Artemis scowled. "Nobody even _uses_ Facebook!" She sighed, exasperated. "Maybe they're good?"

 _Callie G. posted on your wall._

"Wow, thanks, Callie. I'll consider killing myself, much appreciated." Artemis remarked sarcastically.

 _Sydney B. commented on your post, "Hi!"._

"Just when I thought Callie's was bad.." She scrolled down some more. It just got worse and worse. "Thanks, guys. Deleting my facebook yet again."

Was it too much to ask for one do-over? One fresh start?

"Artemis? Everything alright?" Sybil walked into the room behind Artemis and rubbed her shoulders.

"Yeah, Mom," Artemis quickly shut her phone off, "just fine."

"Oh, you'll never guess who's coming tomorrow!"

"Someone's coming tomorrow?" Artemis was surprised - nobody had EVER gone to their house before. Ever. Part of the reason was because Levana and Sybil, Artemis' moms, always yelled at potential friends. And Artemis? Well, she was just straight-up hated.

"Yeah, don't act so surprised!" Sybil walked behind the counter, put her elbows down on the cold, white marble, and folded her hands.

"Okay, Mom. Who's coming?"

"Guess!"

"Um.. Barack Obama."

"No, honey. _Actually_ guess."

"I'm out of people."

"Fine, I'll tell you. Ready…"

"Just say it.."

"Set.."

"Mom…"

"Aimery!"

"...Oh."

"What do you mean, 'oh?" Sybil stood up straight. "Aimery gave us all of this!"

"Like, not that I don't love you and your friends, Mom, but I'm 90% sure Aimery's a pedophile."

"What? No!"

"Mom." Artemis sighed. Must she revisit this scarring memory? "Last time he was here he asked me for my _number._ He's married!" Artemis put her phone down and stood up next to her mother.

"Did you give it to him?" Sybil approached her cautiously.

"Of course not! I'm young, but I'm not _stupid._ " Artemis rolled her eyes. "Besides, giving my number to him? Ew."

Sybil laughed and ruffled her daughter's hair, smiling proudly. "That's my girl!"

Artemis looked at her mother. Her dark hair was always smooth, pulled tightly into a ponytail with no flyaways or a single grey hair. She looked at her dress, perfectly white and form-fitting. Even though it had been 22 years, Artemis could easily spot her mother at age 18 in photos. A perfect house, a perfect woman. A perfect family. Artemis wished she was perfect. Here she was - light wash high waisted jeans, a black, loose shirt, red flannel tied at the waist. Her hair was in a messy ponytail, and it seemed half her head was entirely flyaways. Even if she wanted to, Artemis would never fit in here, at this fancy private school. She was too… rebellious. But, she smiled through it. It was Sybil's school, and one of the top in the country.

"Artemis, what's wrong?" Sybil looked down at her daughter lovingly.

"Nothing, mom."

"Artemis," Sybil took her daughter's hands. "You know you can tell me anything, right? Anything and everything." Sybil eyed Artemis suspiciously. "Is it a boy?"

"What? No!" Artemis turned away.

"Is it a girl?" Sybil started giggling. "I know that's what I wish my parents asked. Because it was always a girl. It was always Levana." Sybil sighed. "But Levana was always so… unreachable. So… straight." Sybil sighed dramatically.

"A classic tale of Romeo and Juliet," Artemis replied, with even more over-the-top drama. She couldn't help but laugh. Soon enough, they were both laughing.

Suddenly, the big, oak door squeaked. "Mother's home," Artemis whispered, but she didn't need to say it. Levana always came home late, exhausted and stern. In fact, Artemis couldn't remember a single day when Levana wasn't flustered from work or too busy to see her. Artemis never felt close to Levana like she was close to Sybil. Maybe it was because she wasn't related to her biologically - Sybil had used a donor. Also, Artemis noticed that Sybil was always different around Levana. Meaner, sterner.

"Levana, welcome home." Sybil approached Levana cautiously, as if she were a ticking time bomb. Her face was soft, but the rest of her was rigid.

"Sybil, how are you?" Levana put down her bags by the door and gave Sybil a simple embrace. It wasn't awkward, really, it was just… uniform.

"I am well, thanks. How was work?" Sybil took a step back and they began their usual banter. Artemis knew that her mother Levana enjoyed having a schedule. And Sybil? Well, Sybil just loved Levana. (Not that Levana didn't love her back!)

"It was the usual. Grueling and boring. I missed you. Artemis, how was school?"

"Fine."

"Good. Do you have any homework to do?"

"No."

"Great."

And this was the part of the day where they all just stood in silence. Sybil and Levana looked at each other fondly, mindlessly communicating their love, as always.

"Mom?" Artemis finally broke the silence.

"Yes?" Sybil replied. It was always confusing when Artemis said Mom, but Levana had decided she would go by Mother.

"May I go out?"

"Yes, honey. Have fun, be home by 10. No later! Take your phone with you!" Sybil tossed her the keys, then walked with Levana towards the kitchen. Artemis walked out into the car (what color? If you guessed white, you win!) and drove.

And drove.

And drove.

She wasn't sure if she wanted to stop, until she saw her favorite coffee shop, Diana's, and pulled in.


	3. CHAPTER TWO

Those immature, disgusting brats had taken over Diana's again! Levana reminisced upon the days where it was only her and her friends inside the almost-deserted coffee shop, but unfortunately come Levana's senior year of high school, some sophomores came and ruined the party.

Levana simply didn't have the time to worry about these things anymore - she was the sole heiress to a large fortune, and owned an immense fashion label (Not that she hadn't been secretly in charge all along!) all at the young age of 18! Ah, yes, senior year was shaping up to be all she had hoped. And she had hoped for much.

"Excuse me, sir, and that, um, girl? In the back?" Levana strutted up to the little sophomore pair, voice condescending as ever.

"Um, me?" The scrawny, boyish girl spoke up. Her voice was louder than expected.

"Yes, you. You're a girl, right?" Levana spoke slowly and carefully, so not to disturb the little baby.

"Yes, I'm a girl," she spoke harshly.

"Um, chill? Nobody's even attacking you?" Sybil, Levana's best friend and closest confidante walked behind her and put a hand on her hip.

"I'm pretty sure your friend just was." Another kid turned around.

"What is this, a gang?" Levana crossed her hands. It sure looked like one. Both wore leather jackets, some version of combat boots, and had the grunge look mastered.

"What are you, a princess?" The same boy looked at her. "We might be a gang, why's it your problem?"

"I could be a princess for all you know." Levana towered down on him. "And I might as well be. Levana Blackburn."

"Blackburn? No," the boy actually looked shocked. "Like, the fashion label?"

"Yeah, like, keep up!" Sybil spoke again, her voice a little squeaky. Levana gave her a look. She didn't need anyone else.

"Well, then, Ms. Blackburn, I'm Carswell Thorne, at your service," he got down on one knee, reached for Levana's hand and kissed it gently. The other girl scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Get up, Thorne. You're embarrassing yourself!"

"That's not what _she_ thinks, Cinder."

"I agree with Cinder," Levana, disgusted, got some hand sanitizer and washed her hand thoroughly.

"Well." Thorne got up, brushed his pants off, and sat back down."

"If you'll excuse me," Levana stepped away, feeling as if she had insulted and intimidated them enough. And, as a plus, the sophomores were silent. "Come on, Sybil!" she called. Sybil chirped and sashayed away, out the door to her brand-new 1994 Ferrari 348. "Listen, Sybil."

"Yeah, Levana?"

"If you're gonna hang with me, you gotta get less schoolgirl and more…" Levana couldn't quite find the word. Tough? Sassy? Cool?

"Like you?" Sybil looked up at Levana expectantly.

"Yeah. You gotta stop like, um, being.. Well.."

"Annoying?" Sybil looked down.

"...Yeah."

"I get that a lot."

"Anyway. See you tomorrow?"

"Yeah." Sybil put her head down and walked away.

Levana stood there for a bit, thinking about, well, life. How it's been. What she's lost. She looked back at her car, and then her phone rang. An unidentified number. She picked it up.


	4. CHAPTER THREE

"Hello?" Rikan asked, frowning at the unknown caller on his phone.

"Hello?" responded the random caller. Rikan figured that it was just the wrong number and hung up, just to be met with his phone ringing again. But this time, the Caller ID was clear; Your Best Friend For Life.

He chuckled and tapped to open the call. Immediately, his best friend's voice boomed out.

"HEY THERE." August could have been screaming, but they claimed they just had a naturally loud voice. Rikan could swear they got it from their mom - despite Uncle Wolf's rough looks, he was the soft-spoken one.

"Hi, August. I'm driving, so, just a warning." Rikan always told them what he was doing, because as level-headed as August was, they were terribly unpredictable. He never knew what to expect from them - once, August had let out a stream of curses while he was on speakerphone, right in the middle of AP business.

"Alright. You're heading home, right? You hungry? I'll bring something over, mom just made enough cookies to feed an army -" Rikan nearly laughed aloud at August's constant concern and worry.

"I'll be fine. I'm turning into the neighborhood right now. Give me five minutes."

"Kay. I'm going to bring some over anyway, these are your dad's favorites. And - SAGE. SHUT UP. okay, I have to go, I'm pretty sure someone set something on fire. Bye!" The call disconnected.

Rikan smiled as his car cruised down the street, both from the conversation and the smooth ride. Almost automatically, he turned into the street that housed not only his literal family, but the four others that made up his vast figurative family.

Expertly dodging two redheaded children and giving them a sound warning, he turned into the driveway just as August was walking up the sidewalk. Rikan ducked, took his backpack from the passenger seat, and stepped out of the car, smiling in the direction of his friend.

"So it turns out Stefanie was trying to make pasta or something, but it got very burned, and the stove nearly caught on fire. Maha handled it though." August declared as they made their way to him. Rikan shook his head as he took the plate of cookies from them.

"What are you going to do when she goes off to college?"

August snorted. "What am I going to do when you go off to college?"

Rikan turned to him and shrugged apologetically as he turned the knob to the front door of his house. It was never locked this time of day - when everyone was everywhere, and everyone was welcome.

"Wanna come in?" Rikan tilted his head inside, where approximately three children of three different families were climbing up the stairs.

August sighed. "I'd love to, but my history homework is calling to me. Alexander Hamilton is very loud. Alright," they said as they turned back, "stay safe!"

"I'm in my own house!" Rikan called after them, but August's fretting was never unusual. He sighed and slipped his shoes off. Going down the hallway, his parents' voices floated in from the kitchen.

"-their daughter, Artemis, I think. I feel bad, though. What kind of parents - oh, Rikan! How was today?"

"Good, mom." He placed the maroon plate of cookies on the breakfast table, where his parents were seated. His mom pulled him into a one-armed hug, which he returned.

"How's business class? Mr. Davidson's still teaching that, right?" Kai, his father, asked, trying and failing to get a cookie. His mom took one and gave it to him without even looking at him.

"Yeah. He's alright, but he doesn't let us rest for a minute." Rikan mumbled, taking his backpack off of his shoulders and taking a binder out.

"Ooh, I remember him." Cinder, his mom, turned to his dad. "He was the one who would take the yardstick and make sure everyone was in a perfectly straight line during lunch, right?"

"That's the one." His dad said around a mouthful of crumbs.

"Alright, I'm going to the porch to -" Rikan held up his binder.

"Mmkay. Just make sure you're back by about eight." His mom knew going to the porch meant finishing half the homework then getting ushered somewhere by someone and leaving the rest behind.

Rikan headed to the front door, opened it, and made his way to the swing on the front porch, where he promptly sat down with a sigh. Taking a pencil out of some corner of the binder, he began, hunching over the tiny print on the packet he had been given as reading.

The door banged open, and Peony came out, chattering away to Kate. Her exaggerated hand gestures caused her to hit Rikan in the back of his head.

"Sorry!" She winced, and Rikan waved it away. Living around approximately a thousand children meant bruises were nothing. Plus, he had the tendency to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.

"Hey, Kate, I think one of your plates is finally washed, did you get it?" Rikan asked, ever the responsible older brother. In response, she held up a sky blue plate, and he nodded in satisfaction.

"We're going to her house. I think Aunt Cress has something for you, by the way."

And so the rest of the day went. Rikan found himself surrounded at one point by all of August's eight siblings, except for Maha, the spitting image of her mother but taller, who came to usher them slowly in the general vicinity of their house. Then, Oliver came hunting for his twin, Kate, trailed by little Garan, whose now-dirty shorts would probably make his mom, Iko, go on a rather familiar tirade. Emma came searching for her little sister, but after Rikan informed her that she and Peony had gone to her house, Autumn called from her bedroom that no, they were at her house, and her mom was teaching them how to embroider.

This was so utterly normal that Rikan didn't even blink an eye as he went to retrieve Peony from Aunt Winter's house. But when he came back, he was met with a dog on the swing and papers bent underneath him.

"Harry Pawter, no!" cried Peony as she tried to usher their dog from the bench. Eventually, he obeyed her and went inside.

Rikan winced as he looked at his homework. The reading was utterly obscured by a layer of dirt, decidedly pawprint shaped. "Oh, shit."


	5. CHAPTER FOUR

"Oh, shit." Kai mumbled around the strap of his backpack, held up by his teeth and pure willpower as he rummaged through the contents. He'd be in serious trouble if he had lost his algebra homework, and a crumpled paper coming from the bottom of the bag was better than nothing. On his way down, he hurriedly pushed aside a plastic bag and froze.

Cinder's shoe. Inside that plastic bag was Cinder's shoe.

He was almost a hundred percent sure that was her shoe, because every time he was near her, he spent it looking at her shoe. Mostly because if he saw her, he would probably blush, and he had a terribly conspicuous blush. Not only that, if she caught him staring at her, she would narrow her eyes into little daggers and he would back away.

He was loathe to admit she scared him a little, and even more loathe to admit that he had had a crush on her since the seventh grade. But that was unimportant right now.

Finally finding the math homework, he zipped his backpack up and swung it onto his shoulders, nearly jogging in order to get to his last class of the day in time. On the way there, he spotted a short girl with long blonde hair with a staggering amount of books in her arms.

"Hey, Cress," he said, a little breathless. "Need a hand?"

She inhaled, took a look at the load in her arms, and whimpered. He took off three books, and she groaned. "Thank you, Kai. My arms were killing me."

"It looked like it. You got your math homework?"

Her eyes widened and she reached to open one of her binders that Kai was holding, standing on her toes to do so. Finally retrieving the homework inside, she exhaled and handed it straight to the math teacher, who was outside the classroom, collecting the worksheet with a stern expression. Kai handed him the crumpled worksheet sheepishly.

"It won't happen again." He promised, and his teacher nodded. Kai was respected here, and he had to keep up appearances, no matter how in shambles his life was. He was on the Student Council and volunteered for half a million things, he was likable and friendly, intelligent and more respectful than the boys in sophomore year combined. Plus, it wasn't for nothing that his father was a successful businessman who funded several school projects.

But school life and home life were two very different things.

After Kai's mom died, his life had lost a bit of balance. His father was almost always away for business, like he was then, and little Kai had been hurt. He'd felt neglected. Abandoned. He knew it wasn't that his father didn't love him - he was too much of a reminder of his wife. Of Kai's mother. His father was slowly returning more often, but he was acting more and more strange. His movements were more jilted, and the doctor was practically family now. Kai was too young to get worry lines.

And then it was a matter of the future. Always the future. Kai felt like his head was forced to stay upright and facing forward, with blinders at the side. That was everything they ever talked about at home, and it hurt. As much as he knew it was important, Kai felt as if he was shackled to the future, and he didn't want to be. He wanted to be - free, as dramatic as it sounded.

"Kai!" Cress whispered. He shook himself out of thought and faced the board just as the teacher returned to the front of the room. As soon as he started talking about the value of x and its proportionality to y, Kai knew this was going to be a long rest of the period.

When math was over, Kai rushed out immediately. The plastic bag in his backpack was burning a hole in his mind, and he had approximately fifteen minutes before he had to get back home. Taking the bag, he ventured to the front of the school. Hopefully, he could find her amidst the crowd. She had an uncanny knack for sticking out.

And she _did_ stick out, eventually. She was walking past him with her best friend - the infamous Carswell Thorne. Kai narrowed his eyes at the sight of him. A rush of emotions ran through him, so quickly he couldn't even begin to name them - annoyance? Jealousy? It didn't matter.

Kai was just about to shoulder his way through the crowd to her as she turned and raked her eyes over the crowd. He could have sworn her piercing gaze landed on him, and her eyes widened. A quick look at the plastic bag in his hands apparently told her all that she needed to know, and she disappeared into the crowd.

Cursing, he made to follow her, but she was gone. Like always. Just a little out of reach.

He made his way to the car, hands stuffed in his pockets, the plastic bag wearing a mark on his wrist. As his car beeped, he failed to notice the haughty figure watching him, dressed in impeccable white.


	6. CHAPTER FIVE

Artemis' car beeped as she locked it and walked into Diana's, hoping it wasn't as crowded as it normally is on weeknights. No such luck.

Main Street was no longer the real 'main street' of their growing small town, but they kept it because it was historic. Most of the white stone buildings were all broken down and barely usable, but Diana's was different. It was a quirky, small coffee shop with warm, wooden walls and a sense of time long gone.

Getting in line, Artemis noticed how different it was in her mom's pictures. It was hard to believe that when her mother was younger, this place was never crowded. Sometimes, Artemis wished for that. However, most of the time, she was grateful for a place where nobody treated her differently because of her parentage.

Nobody was really sure why they were every attracted to Diana's. There was just so much going on, you really can't pinpoint your favorite part. Maybe it was just the scent; as soon as you walked in, you were cloaked in the sweet-smelling aroma of the coffee special of the day. Maybe it was the tables where strangers were always forced to come together. Artemis had one day dreamed of making a friend or two at one of those tables, but as soon as last names came up her new acquaintances always "had to go."

"Um, ma'am?" The cashier waved his hand at Artemis, who was lost in thought.

"Oh, sorry!" Artemis let out a small laugh and ordered the caramel macchiato, her favorite. She searched a while for a table, and settled on a raised, round, black table with two barstools. Tapping her fingers on the table, she left it only to pick up her order, and spent a good ten minutes staring blankly at her phone, trying to avoid all social media.

A sudden voice caused her to drop her phone in shock.

"Oh, dammit, I'm so sorry, did I spill anything…?"

Artemis looked up to find a tall, lanky boy staring down at her, a pained expression on his face. Her first thought was that he was handsome, and she gulped. Her second was about the hot drink in his hands, about to topple over into her lap.

Her brain whirring back, she stabilized the cup and handed it back to him so he could grasp it fully. Then, as he looked around for a seat, the empty chair across from her began to glare.

"Here, you can sit, um, over there." Artemis tried, and the boy smiled thankfully. He took his seat across from her and placed one cup on the table, drinking the other. Artemis chuckled at how fast it seemed to be going down his throat. "So, what did you get?"

"What?" He lowered the cup from his mouth, leaving a foamy line. "Oh, no, this is just hot chocolate. My sister Peony wanted me to get something. I'm not a coffee person." Peony.. Where had Artemis hear that name before?

"Really? Not a coffee person? Come on, no way! I've never met anyone who hasn't enjoyed at least one kind of coffee."

"Well, then, nice to meet you, I guess. I'm Rikan."

A figurative arrow hit Artemis' chest, and she started bleeding.

 _Rikan._ Peony could have been coincidence, but Rikan was unmistakable.

Her parent's sworn enemies' child, and therefore, her sworn enemy. She had heard that name passed around the dinner table in what her mothers thought were passing remarks. Sybil said it scornfully, sounding as though it was vomit, wrinkling her nose at it. Levana, however, spit it out and stepped on it. His name was proof, basically, that their enemies were happy and healthy. Needless to say, Rikan was very infamous in Artemis' circle.

She must have been lost in thought, because he was peering at her over her coffee cup. "And your name is…?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Oh, sorry. It's - it's Artemis." She winced at what she may have done to this budding - whatever this was, but there was no recognition in his eyes. Either he was a very good actor, or he truly didn't know who she was, and based on his clumsiness earlier, it wasn't the former.

She breathed out a subtle sigh of relief, and almost laughed at the irony. At her school, she was so well known, so hated, so detested, and here, in front of the boy whose life was what her parents revolved around, she was unknown.

She was given a fresh start. And she was determined to take it.

"Nice. Artemis." He flashed a smile, and against her better judgement (as if she had control over it), she blushed.

"Rikan," she said, getting accustomed to the name. A fresh start would be nice.


	7. CHAPTER SIX

It must be nice to be as down to earth as Kai was. Levana knew all about him and his situation, but it was amazing how well he kept it together. His mother dead, his father sick, and a huge magazine, about to be inherited. Levana could relate. She could also use his power.

He wasn't bad looking, too. Much more handsome than the boys at Levana's school. And kinder, too. Kai wasn't a bad potential date at all, Levana thought. So, she followed him for a while, waiting for a moment to ask.

But then she saw it. A beat-up pair of combat boots in his hand. Where had she seen the other before?

Diana's. Cinder. He had Cinder's shoe.

Levana wasn't stupid. She could piece the facts together - Kai and Cinder had some sort of.. Cinderella thing going on. But hey, if the shoe fits, wear it.

And Levana fully intended to do so.

Waiting is stressful, but Levana could handle it. She waited patiently for three years for her sister, Channary, to die so that she would be the sole heir to the Blackburn fortune. She waited even after that until she was 18 to take over, even though she had spies on the inside anyway.

Levana knew that if she ever had children, they would never feel sorrow or hurt or regret. They'd have a good life.


End file.
